Jota ends goal drought, Jones’ new role & derby jubilation
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So you must have three brilliant words. You've had plenty of time to think about it after the Derby. I don't like this casting anymore, Tony. I've been given some good three words recently. I'm going to give good ones. Good's a bit of a stretch, isn't it? Yeah. Okay. 13 more points.

13. Well, effectively, it's 12, isn't it, with the goal difference? Okay, okay, okay. I don't think we'll need that many. Don't you think? No, you're right. It is 13, mathematically. Mathematically. I'm just, you know, we've got to say the goal difference is way better. That's worth a point. I would say the goal difference is worth a point rather than... Definitely. Yeah. Definitely. James? I'm going with Jotter the Slaughter. I like that. I like that. Well, Jamie Lovett agrees with you.

That's exactly what he said. James Kevin, four wins away. Rob Mason, Tierney the genius. Well, that's a bit harsh, isn't it? And Chris Gordon, points over performance. To join our community of listeners on Facebook, just search Walk On Podcast and join the group. Well, James, you wrote earlier in the week before the Derby about Liverpool needing to get back to the best. It wasn't exactly that was it, but who's complaining?

Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think, yeah, the piece I wrote was more about the running in general in terms of, you know, because Liverpool are so far ahead in the Premier League title race. You know, there is a world where they kind of limp over the line and just do enough and benefit from Arsenal dropping points. And you think the point was really that having been so good for so long this season, you

you know do it in some style you know show show why you've gone so many games unbeaten show why you've blown everyone else away over the course of this season um and I don't think I don't think the derby was ever likely to be kind of like an absolute exhibition of of attacking football um because of the way that Everton set up and and they are pretty horrible to play against but

I thought that was a really impressive response from Liverpool to...

to the, you know, that double, you know, heartache of going out the Champions League to PSG and then losing the cup final in such abject fashion. I think the biggest thing was standing up to Everton's physicality. And, you know, you only had to look at things like, you know, the duels for over the course of 90 minutes, it was about 50-50. And when you think that figure was about 40% that Liverpool won in the, in the Carabao Cup final. So,

Yeah, they didn't get bullied. They didn't allow it to be exactly the kind of game Everton wanted it to be. And yeah, it wasn't a game, was it, that will live long in the memory banks, but a piece of brilliance from Jota settled it. Yes, I mean, do we care if they limp over the line, really? I mean, part of me would be amused by that. Yeah, I've got to be honest, I don't care because...

I think in the fullness of time, you're never going to think, ooh, the last five games, didn't Liverpool do it in style? You just don't think of that. You just think Liverpool did it. It doesn't matter. That's how it gets remembered, really. I can understand James' point because I do think, I think the way they played in the previous games, they obviously have to perform better than they did in those games. Otherwise, they might, you know, find themselves in a few problems. But I was encouraged by the performance against Everton. It was exactly as I thought it was going to be.

Two teams that haven't played with one another for a number of weeks. It was tough. It was tough going. But it's the sort of game that you can...

You can dust off any of your sort of frustrations about the intensity of the performance or the chances created when you win. Because when you win with one goal, in a moment that comes out of pretty much nowhere, the explosion of noise inside Anfield was incredible. The sense of relief was enormous.

And I've got to be honest, I mean, I was there as a spectator. I wasn't in the press box. And I enjoyed celebrating that goal. So I'm not going to... I look back at that game with great fondness, I've got to say. Yeah. As a spectator. Yeah, well, I mean, it was...

Oh, you say that in the aftermath because we won. But yeah, it was very, very funny. But there's a couple of things that, you know, weren't that funny. Was the James, the Tarkovsky challenge was, I mean, you know, how did they miss that? I thought the Pickford one was even worse.

Yeah, and he does have previous, doesn't he, for clattering Liverpool players after the whistle was gone. Yeah, I mean, on the Tarkowski one, up there with the worst, certainly the worst decisions this season. Yeah.

It just beggars belief because even in real time I thought oh he'll go for this because you could see the force with which he caught McAllister on the follow through and of course the days of like well you played the ball first so you know you've almost got like a free hit afterwards. I have the image of Sue Ness in the derby making that circular ball you know I got the ball I got the

bottle after maiming someone. Yeah, and that's just not the modern game, is it? And then, obviously, one replay just confirms it, because you're thinking, oh, has he actually caught him quite high? Is there real force? Is he out of control? It's like tick, tick, tick.

It felt like an absolute certainty. So yeah, for Paul Tierney, and also having sat through Chelsea Tottenham last night, and how long VAR, they dwell over certain decisions. Paul Tierney took about 10 seconds to decide that Sam Barrett had got that one spot on with a yellow card. I mean, that's just...

You know, it's incompetence. You know, at best, it's incompetence. Shocking. Yeah, not surprised that PGO MOL felt the need so swiftly the following morning to come out and admit that that had been a really bad error.

you know, easier to take when you win the game. Also easier to take when McAllister walks off the field and he seemed to be playing a normal part in Liverpool's kind of recovery day yesterday at the AXA. So hopefully no harm done. But yeah, you know, Liverpool should have had a numerical advantage for 80 minutes, shouldn't they? And then I think we'd have seen a much more emphatic Liverpool victory. In real time. I mean, again, I was in the centenary stands. I thought, ooh, that's an aggressive tackle.

But he did appear to win the ball from, you know, 50, 60 yards away. The referee obviously jumped into the decision, didn't he? He straight away knows it's a bad one. And he runs over with the sort of intention where you think he's going to give him a red card, but he gives him a yellow card. Now, in the referee's defence, obviously, it's the trail and leg, isn't it, that catches McAllister, isn't it? Which is on the other side of his visibility.

So he was not probably able to see the fullness of the tackle according to his position. And I don't think he can be blamed for his position because he can't be everywhere on the pitch, can he? This is the whole point of the video technology, that they can see everything, whereas referees, they just can't see the other side of the tackle, if that makes sense. Paul Tierney can. So...

If that had been awarded as a red card, I'm beginning to wonder, would Paul Tierney overturn it as a yellow card? Bearing in mind he can see fully what's going on. So maybe I'm misunderstanding the rules and how it breaks down because they change so regularly between... No one understands the rules. I'll lose track with it, even being totally honest, but...

It was a really bad tackle. I mean, I don't like freeze frame and everything because the game does happen at real speed. But even in real speed, in the replays you can see, it's a really bad one. Both feet off the ground. You know, Tarkowski's eyes are actually...

seem to be trained on the player for most of it, not the ball, which is not a good thing, certainly. But when even Gary Neville was saying it's a red card, you know it's bad. Well, straight away, I mean, again, when you're inside the ground, I'm looking at my phone. I mean, WhatsApp group, as you know, we made it all Evertonians and they were like, that's a red card straight away. You know what I mean? And Duncan Ferguson then said it. So it's a bad decision, but...

You know, we're probably not going to talk about it that much again in the fullness of time because Liverpool ended up winning the game. The player didn't get injured, but it could have broken his leg. It could have seriously injured the player. It was a really dangerous tackle. And then, as you say, Pickford, I mean, he...

either knows the ball isn't in play and makes the tackle anyway, or he does think the ball's in play. So this is a real grey area that needs to be addressed by referees and the, you know, the PGMOL and the officials, because does that mean that if the ball's not live, you can do what you want on the football pitch? If you run over and clobber somebody over the head, oh, well, it's not in play. It doesn't matter. You know, it's...

Pickford's tackle, what does that constitute? You know, is it, is it violent conduct? Probably, well, it's not violent conduct, but it's a dangerous tackle that he makes while seemingly at best, if he thinks the ball's in play, it's a dangerous tackle, which again could endanger the player. So just to let any player off in that circumstance, I think is, it doesn't send a good message to the players basically. Um,

So it's something that I think they have to be thinking about about the rule changes because Jordan Pickford, you know, he's not the only player that's done this before, but he has done it before, obviously, with Virgil van Dijk. Thought the game was still alive. Jumped in with two feet.

It's something, I'm not just saying it from a Liverpool perspective, I think generally in football, it's eventually going to lead to a serious injury to some player because of this grey area. And it's the same, I mean, God knows how many times in that game, Tony, another little gripe of mine, where they let the play run on, the player has a shot and then it's given offside. It happens so many times in the derby. Some player eventually is going to get injured because of that rule, because of the uncertainty around it. I can understand why they want to give...

players the best chances of scoring rather than intercepting. But they're getting very lucky, the officials at the moment. I think eventually a goalkeeper is going to come out and collide with a player because the odds are against the goalkeeper or the centre-half and it continues to happen. I mean, so often for me, it seems we get wrapped up in daft things. You know, people are screaming about simulation, players diving and that. I think the really important thing is...

Basically acts of violence that could injure players. Player safety, yeah. Yeah, and I don't care who it is. You get the whataboutery, you know, when you look on social media and they've got clips of Van Dijk making the tackle, where he goes through and connects with a player. It doesn't matter which player it is from which team. We need to knock that out of the game because you can't be doing that.

But James, well, both of yous, full-time, the release, you could hear the nervousness in the ground, couldn't you? You know, it was...

particularly in the first half, there was a slightly frightened buzz going around the place and the release full-time. It must have been a great moment. Yeah, it was. I think there was a fair bit of anxiety around the place. I think also because of what happened in the Goodison derby, especially towards the back end of the game because

you're thinking, surely not again, with a big chunk of stoppage time, Everton trying to have a go in search of a late equaliser. So yeah, I think there was a lot of relief amongst the jubilation come the end. And I thought Liverpool were a lot better second half. I think what worried me first half was

was just how susceptible and vulnerable they looked at times out of possession. And it was always route one, wasn't it? Hitting it long towards Beto. But...

he can be a nuisance and he did cause Van Dijk and Canate a few problems. You know, there was obviously the disallowed goal, which bizarrely, poor Tierney spent longer, a lot longer looking at that that was clearly offside on first glimpse than he did on Tarkowski's tackle. And then, of course, the one when, you know, the missed kick from Van Dijk and Beto runs through and hits the post. But I thought, yeah, second half, Everton,

I thought Liverpool were much tighter. The protection was better in front of Van Dijk and Canarte. You were just waiting for Liverpool to make sure that their greater quality shone through. And in the end, it did. I loved Beto in the post. That's one of my favourite Derby moments in recent years. You're like...

How did he pick the post out? Time stood still, Tony. You know what it reminded me of? It brought back these horrible memories of the Liverpool-Chelsea game in 2014. You know, when Demba Ba had a clear run on goal. Yeah. And there was almost like, there was sort of four to five seconds of thinking...

this is going in this. I actually closed my eyes as he was getting towards goal and then opened them just to... You could hear the... Anfield went so quiet, you could hear the clank of the post from 100 yards away. It was remarkable. As you said, I thought Beto had a really good game and I was really surprised when Moyes took him off because...

I know he frustrates a lot of Evertonians because, you know, he's a bit all over the place, but he occupied both centre-halves in the game. I thought Van Dijk defensively was outstanding in the game apart from the one... Well, in the second half. I thought the first half was the worst...

possibly the worst half of football I've seen Van Dijk playing on Liverpool's shirt. Fair enough. Yeah, I should have qualified that by his second half performance because I thought he got really strong the second half. Yeah, yeah, definitely. He was defensively brilliant in the second half, but the first half he was just...

a bit all over the place, sort of ponderous in possession, not moving things quickly enough. And as you said, got beaten quite a lot by Beto. But I thought maybe Moyes just thought he was tiring, but...

He certainly gave both of them, you know, a tough game in the second half. I thought Beto was challenging Canarte as well. Yeah, I thought that was Liverpool's best substitution of the game. Yeah, yeah, you're right. Yeah, you're right. So, I mean, I was quite surprised. I thought, I know Everton have had like a bit of time away, but I thought once it went to 1-0, I thought surely they're going to come out a little bit more here now. But I suppose they were getting, they certainly had a couple of good opportunities in the first half, maybe more. He's just thought...

Well, if we can keep it to 1-0, we might just nick one at the end, which is what they seem to want to do. I was just impressed that you can look at it two ways, can't you? Because if Liverpool don't score the goal, you don't therefore say, oh, well, they kept going, Liverpool, they kept passing, they kept trying to stretch them. I just felt in the first half, Liverpool had so much possession, they kept on moving it sort of side to side to side in sort of the final third of the pitch.

I thought eventually Everton are going to get tired here because they were constantly having to twist and turn the centre-halves. The midfield were getting pulled this way and that way. I thought eventually if they just keep at it, it will tell. And obviously getting the goal when they did was crucial really because you spoke about that sort of nervous tension inside Anfield. You could feel that that just went away. And the players, I think, afterwards played with a bit more confidence there.

And, you know, maybe if this game was in a few weeks' time when they got a bit more rhythm together, they could have won a bit more convincingly. But, you know, it wasn't a perfect performance by any means. There was quite a few disappointing performances, I thought. But I thought Liverpool were worthy winners. You know, they did stick at it. They showed a bit of personality, I thought, in the second half. And very, very, very big win for Liverpool.

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Well, James, the biggest positive, I think, of all, was Jota entered this 10-game goal drought and up until the goal, he looked pretty out of sorts. But, yeah, he took it beautifully. And you know what I like best about the goal? The Evertonian crying afterwards. LAUGHTER

Yeah, it was a big moment for Jota, wasn't it? And I think it was kind of repaying the faith that's been shown in him by Swap because I think that the paucity of some of the performances that Jota served up before the break

He could have had absolutely no complaints if he'd been consigned to bench duty, especially, I thought, in both games against PSG and the cup final. But Slott has obviously decided that he thinks he is his best bet through the middle there.

And it's almost allowed him to kind of play through this kind of rut that he's been stuck in. You know, 10 appearances without a goal. Hadn't netted since that equaliser he scored, you know, impact sub off the bench at Forest in January. Hadn't scored in the league at Anfield since middle of December against Fulham. So, yeah, it felt big for him. And it was classic Jota, wasn't it? It was almost like suddenly something just seemed to click.

inside him because he did brilliantly to dispossess James Garner, I think it was, just outside the box. Collected that flick from Diaz and then so alert to the space around him, the way he darts away from Idrissi Gay and Tarkowski and then provides the finish. And you could see what it meant to him as much as what it meant to Liverpool in the context of this season because...

This season for Jota has been like so many others in his Liverpool career. It's so stop-start. Injuries wrecking his momentum. Then he comes back. He's searching for rhythm. It takes him a while to get up to speed. And then inevitably there seems to be another fitness issue around the corner. It was long overdue that one of those other attackers stepped up and eased the burden on Salah.

And thankfully Diogo delivered. Sorry, we've got to talk about the offside. We've got to talk about the offside. The taste of blue tea is probably one of the things you savour most in life. Yeah, I mean...

I got the same solution. How would you have felt if that would have gone against Liverpool? Well, it depends because you then marry it with the non-sending off, don't you? You can't ignore the fact that... Oh, they got the better of the refereeing decisions. That's for sure. I mean, I must say...

I think I've watched a lot of games of football. In terms of the refereeing decisions, I don't think I've seen many games that have been worse officiated than that game, you know, in terms of the big decisions being wrong and a lot of like sort of small decisions as well. Yeah, I mean, again, like I saw Moyes complained afterwards, didn't he, about the offsides. I suppose he has every right to, but it's just in isolation, isn't it? You can't ignore the big facts that...

Tarkowski should have been sent off, which changes everything anyway. I mean, I don't think Everton would have had it in them to survive how long? 70, 75 minutes, whatever, without their captain, who's been very influential for them this season, playing at centre-half. So I just think there's not much point complaining about it almost. I mean, yes. Again, do the rules say that there's something playing them on now? I don't know. I don't think there is a...

In my book, he's offside. The goal should have been disallowed, but...

Again, you can't just look at that situation in isolation, I think. I thought Slott summed it up well, actually, yesterday at his press conference when he said, the reality is when you read the rule, it was put into practice exactly how it should be. And he said, I don't like the rule and I don't think that should be the rule because I think we all know that if Luis Diaz isn't stood there, then Tuchelski...

doesn't react in the way he does.

But that's kind of what did my head in a little bit with Moyes' moaning afterwards, was that the reality is that referees get a hell of a lot of stick and sometimes rightly so when they make bad mistakes. But that wasn't a mistake by the referee. That wasn't a mistake by Portini. Portini's blunder on the night was not sending off Tarkowski. His blunder on the night was not disallowing that goal because...

like the reality is because Diaz didn't actively move towards the ball in that moment he's he's deemed to be not interfering with play so and Swatt made the point that he said there's been loads of times when it it does his head in the other way well you know either Van Dijk or Canate heads a ball away because there's a strike at three or four yards behind them miles offside and

And then the opposition pick up the second ball. And he said, obviously, if the striker's not there, they wouldn't edit away. They'd just let it bounce and go through. But yeah, it's a stupid rule. It's a fundamental misunderstanding of how footballers think. You know, Tarkowski is naturally going to try and stop that ball going through, isn't he? Because he's a defender. He'd have been better just letting it run through on reflection. But...

I just think it's a rule that doesn't work. As you say, it sets up the referees for more criticism and it runs against how defenders naturally think and how footballers naturally respond to things happening in front of them in a football match. So it's almost this sort of artificial decision-making which doesn't help anybody really. The whole offside rule has lost touch with the initial reasoning for introducing it.

you know to stop goal hanging and now we've turned into jobs where it's where you know people are an inch off and who's off and who's on no one seems to know anymore it's just that but you know what i love it i love it when it goes against everton and it goes in our favor to be honest to be honest tony i mean i i haven't heard you know there's been a few grumbles about it but it

It might be different online. I'm trying to operate in the real world here, but not many people I know have been speaking to ever told me they've been complaining about it that much, really. It's obviously something that Moyes has been complaining about, and it's probably something that happens online, but...

I think most people understand that Everton got very, very lucky with the biggest decision on the game. I'm surprised you've been speaking to Evertonians. Most of them I know have retreated to the holes and not wanted to converse. No, no, let's not be too cruel. But James, the Jotico...

There's so much uncertainty around Liverpool's front line in the summer and going forward into next season. Where does it leave us? I mean, Jota and his injuries, he's got two years left on his contract. Would you cash in if anyone had taken with a reasonable value, given his record? Or do we cross our fingers and hope for the best?

Yeah, I think a lot will hinge on what kind of offers are forthcoming and what the player himself is thinking, which we don't know at the minute. My feeling would be that Nunes is certainly more likely to be moved on than Jota, just because I think everything has pointed to that over the course of this season. I think...

There's been numerous times when Slott could have turned to him and hasn't. Of course, there was the issue a couple of months back with questioning his work ethic against Wolves and Villa when he had that glaring miss.

So, yeah, I mean, I think Jota's a really difficult one to make an assessment on because when he's absolutely bang on it, you think, why on earth would you, why is this even a conversation? When you look at him do what he did to settle the derby on Wednesday night. But the biggest issue with Diogo Jota has been availability. You know, this is his fifth season at Liverpool and only once in those five seasons has he made 20 or more starts in all competitions.

and I've got a lot of sympathy for him because you can guarantee if it annoys fans about how much he misses how much football he misses it will annoy him a hell of a lot more so

So, yeah, that's why it feels like this running, you know, aside from what Liverpool are playing for, for people like Jota, it is big in terms of reminding what he can do and proving that he should be kept around beyond this season. For me, looking in, I would say it would make more sense to me to keep Jota unless you get...

a big offer that is, you know, just makes sense to cash in. And it'd be Nunes is the one that departs. And then you bring someone in to compete with Jota.

Yes, I just want to have a quick word about Salah. Apparently you've written a book about him called Chasing Salah, which is not only in all good bookshops, but bought at shortlisted for an award at the moment. Thank you, Tony. Thank you. Yes, it is. Yeah. I assume you want me to talk about his performance. I do want you to talk about his performance. Quiet. He's had a couple of quiet weeks, which hasn't come at the right time for him, you know, in big games, you know,

Both legs of PSG, not great. Cup final, not great. There was some mitigation in the cup final because I don't think he can overstate the importance of his relationship on the pitch with Trent Alexander-Arnold. You know, when we spoke about it a few weeks ago, just the simple act of Trent's sort of hooked pass down the touchline, which releases him quickly and allows him, affords him the space to go and attack the defender. He obviously hasn't, without Trent, he doesn't have quite as much of that.

Yeah, it seemed to me that they were extremely ponderous in getting the ball to him. So every time the ball come into Salah's area, Everton doubled up on him. And certainly the first half, I was at that end of the, you know, the ground in the first half and the centenary stands, or sorry, the Kenny Dalglish stands. Or as we, you know, as we rarely call it, the Kemlan roads. Yeah, Kemlan roads, yeah. And...

He did seem quite isolated in that corner. You know, players weren't getting close enough to him. But to be honest, he was just too loose with his passing as well. A bit too casual. Again, he wasn't the only one. It was just the classic first game back after the international break performance by a lot of players, even though they've had a bit more time off. You know, I don't know whether it benefited them. It might benefit them in a couple of weeks' time, I guess, you know, when they're in a run of fixtures. But,

He was quiet, again, didn't really fashion that many opportunities. He should have scored with a header, I think, at the back post in the first half. But what I will say is I think Slott deserves credit for his decision to put Curtis Jones in it right back. It was quite a bold decision to make in a derby. I thought Jones got caught out a few times in the air. It's quite clear there's a vulnerability there in the air. But I think what he did offer was...

more options in Liverpool's build-up. His passing was good, he was tight, he made some good interceptions, he didn't let anybody get past him and I thought his attitude was just brilliant again. I mean, I think Curtis Jones could be a really important player for Liverpool if he's used properly. Could become one of the leaders of the team, certainly with Trent apart and I think there's going to be more...

expectation on him probably but I thought it was just another good sign he should be thinking well I know he's sort of old and Steven Gerrard was when he did this but Gerrard was you know deposited right back at certain points early on in his Liverpool career and stuff not only early on in Istanbul yeah exactly exactly exactly exactly people forget don't they

And he did really well. He just did really well. He was really determined. So, yeah, I think before the end of the season, if Salah doesn't have one big moment, I'll be very, very surprised. I would not be surprised at all if that big moment came at Chelsea away or Arsenal at home. James, I just want to get your thoughts on Curtis Jones because I thought on the first off, he was a little bit, he looked a little bit lost there and...

and was in part responsible for some of the defensive dysfunction, getting caught upfield too much, which meant the centre-halves got dislocated from each other. There was too much space between them and Beto was getting in that gap. But in the second half, I thought he was excellent. Yeah, I thought he was great. Even first half, I didn't... I thought...

when Everton counter-attacked, and you're right, there was obviously a gap there, but clearly that was what he'd been asked to do. He'd been asked to be that extra midfielder, to give them that bit more quality and creativity in midfield. And the issue was, obviously, when moves break down, there's space there to be exposed. But he's such an intelligent footballer. It's done my head in for a long time, the kind of...

I don't know what it is. There seems to be like, I know it's more of a social media online thing, but an element of the fan base who just don't seem to get it in terms of how good Curtis Jones is.

and, you know, I see it sometimes when he's named in the starting lineup, and you're like, I genuinely don't know what they've been watching this season, because he has had a sensational season. You know, how valuable is he to Arnaud Slot? The fact that he can say to him, right, you know, today you're the holding midfielder, today you're the number eight. He played up front at Man City, didn't he? And was brilliant that day when he

You know, Slott described it as playing with two number 10s, didn't he, with Curtis and Zabozlai through the middle that day. You know, he played it right back before. You know, I thought it was a shrewd decision by Slott because I think Everton probably would have been expecting Jarrell Kwanzaa in that position. And obviously Kwanzaa probably knows the role better, doesn't he? And he would have probably been more secure defensively.

But I think Slott knew that Liverpool were going to dominate possession on the night.

and you know if you're going to dominate the ball then why not have someone in that position who's a great passer and can give you that spark in possession and also the fact that you know it wasn't like Everton didn't really play with a left winger did they it wasn't like he had a winger running at him because Alcaraz kept on coming inside and more often than not Everton just lumped it long to to the big fella anyway so um

Yeah, really pleased for Curtis Jones. His evolution as a footballer over the course of his career, I've loved watching it because I think back to going to the UEFA Youth League games when he was playing for Steven Gerrard's under-18s and he was this skinny little left winger just with, you know, a sensational, like, box of tricks where he would just beat a full-back six times just for the sake of it and then whip a cross in but would quite often just stand around on the byline waiting for someone to give him the ball. Now...

he's someone who a manager can trust pretty much in every position on the field, which is testament to his skill set. Yeah, I reckon the team talk was like, all right, boys, you know what? Sonny Everton.

We don't need four defenders. I must admit, I wouldn't like to see him up against the likes of Anthony Gordon. The thing is, Tony, to be fair to him, it's his first go of that position. I accept what you're saying. I think positionally, he didn't quite know where to be at certain points of the game.

But what I think he did definitely do is allowed Liverpool to really dominate the possession and just grind Everton down. Eventually, he played a big role in that, even in the first half, I thought. I could see him sort of checking over his shoulder. Do I need to go? Do I need to stay? So I see your point about that. But I do agree with James on this. I think Slott probably calculated well enough.

We're going to have so much possession anyway. We're going to have so much possession. You would expect ordinarily Canarte and Van Dijk to be able to deal with one player really. But in the first half, they didn't. And as you say, I think you're right. The first half, the two of them didn't have their best first half.

But I wouldn't necessarily put that on Jones so much. I just think, you know, slot put talks about this a lot, doesn't he? The slot language of duels. You know, Liverpool certainly better on the other two. You know, the other two didn't win their duels. Well, better won more duels than you'd expect in the first half ordinarily. I don't know whether that was down to Jones, I thought. Well, I think it was a wiser thing. I think, you know, McAllister's position in the first half

perfect in the second half you know the changes he was better much much better yeah yeah so you know i think you know it was the issues in the first half i thought were a group issue and it was fixed at half time they come out with a different attitude and i thought they were obviously significantly better it's spring black friday at the home depot so what are you working on

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James, you know, despite having Noah Allison, which he owns it right back, slot stuck with the same core group of 15 players on Wednesday. We're surprised that we didn't see Harvey Elliott or Chiesa. Yeah, I was probably more surprised that we didn't see Chiesa based on his impact at Wembley. And of course, we haven't been privy to how he's trained, you know, since then. But I just thought,

On such a desperate day at Wembley, he was probably one of the very few positives. So, yeah, I thought he might have brought him on and just freshened things, especially because Salah wasn't really impacting that game. I thought we might have seen 20, 25 minutes of Chiesa. And, yeah, I've got a lot of sympathy for Harvey Elliott. I do think he's been underplayed over the course of this season, I think,

I think the numbers would certainly back it up in terms of the contributions Harvey's made off the bench. But as you said, Tony, he has stuck with that core group, which, you know, for the vast majority of the season, the results have proved him right, haven't they? So...

So, yeah, it was. And I also think maybe the dynamic of the game probably affected his decision making, because I think what was the goal? 57 minutes, which traditionally is around the time that slot. I think if it had gone another five minutes at nil nil, I think I think we probably would have seen different different decisions made in terms of the substitutes he brought on. But in the end, it was almost like when Liverpool were quite comfortable, they're one nil up.

What does he bring on? Nunes for Jota, 15 minutes to go. Gagpo for Diaz really late on and then Endo deep into stoppage time for Salah just to run down the clock, wouldn't it? But yeah, I'm sure Chiesa and Harvey Elliott would have been gutted because it felt harsh that they didn't play any part in it. Yes, I mean, Harvey Elliott...

In many ways, he's the opposite of Jones. He hasn't got a lot of minutes. Slott doesn't seem to think he's got much versatility. And, you know, he's used in a very specific role.

Just looking at the fixtures, Liverpool have obviously got eight games left to go, one game a week. So I was thinking after the game against Everton, obviously Curtis Jones has played at right back. He's usually one of the players rotated within the four of the three midfielders who get selected.

So it'll be interesting to see what he does at Fulham, whether Conor Bradley comes back into the equation. I'm not quite sure whether he's fit because I was thinking, you know, surely he's going to have to give one of those three midfielders a bit of a rest at some point in the Everton game. But when you look at it and they've got eight games left, one game a week, maybe he's just thinking now that this team just needs to finish on a rhythm and

I don't really see where Harvey Elliott gets his minutes now, you know, if I'm being totally honest, unless there's an injury to one of those players. Because he does seem to be one of those managers, Slott, who likes the players to get into that rhythm and backs the judgment of his, you know, his fitness staff to make changes accordingly on the training field, you know, so to make sure that they're,

fresh enough to play a big part. It's a bit of a throwback in a lot of ways, Slott. I'd be interested to see how many minutes each of the players have had over the course of the season and the way he's divided it up because it feels like, by and large, when he's been able to, he's just gone with what he thinks is his strongest XI. I do think it has caught up with Liverpool a little bit, but if they win the league...

Doesn't matter, does it? Yeah, that's caught up with Liverpool a little bit. But no one else has. Arsenal haven't. Yeah, I know. Exactly. This is the thing. I mean, how can you really say it was a bad decision when they are in the position that they're in in the league? You know, 12 points ahead. I mean, it's incredible. I mean, I know obviously...

Liverpool won at a canter when they last won the league in 2020. You had an even bigger lead at that point. But even in any ordinary season, to be 12 points ahead at this stage of the season is pretty impressive, isn't it? I mean, I think teams of City have obviously won a lot of titles in the last 10 years and I'd have to go back and I might be absolutely wrong, but it feels like they've been under, you know, certainly in the season when Liverpool have challenged and they've gone close, Arsenal have sort of

Kept it going until April time when they've had a go, you know, the last couple of seasons. So, but Liverpool are in a really secure position. I think the only people who are nervous about it really are Liverpool fans at the moment. Yeah, yeah. Well, James, where does it leave Elliot? It's six years at the club now. He come after Madrid in 2019. Do you think there's a chance he might be another one out the exit door this summer?

I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, it's... I think with Harvey Elliott, so much will hinge on where his head is at because...

there's absolutely no chance that Liverpool would want to lose him because why would you you know he's he's you know a very very talented young English player and the other thing to factor into the equation is you know and obviously it's kind of intensified a little bit with the expectation that Trent Alexander-Arnold's going to go to Real Madrid is the homegrown quota um so I

you know, to, to, to lose Elliot. And of course there's been this noise about potential interest in Kwanzaa as well. You know, that that's going to be another thing that's kind of like part of the decision-making process. So, um, yeah, I,

you know i at the minute i think harvey elliott will have a lot of thinking to do come the end of the season it will it will depend as well what other offers are on the table personally i hope harvey elliott rolls his sleeves up and says i'm coming back for pre-season in july and i'm i'm gonna prove to anna slot that i deserve a bigger role that that's what i hope um

But, of course, there's bound to be a big element of frustration for him, the fact that his game time has been so limited. He's probably looking as well at, you know, was he 22?

looking at someone like Curtis Jones who's broken into the England set-up and he'll be thinking maybe if I was to go somewhere else if I could play regularly in the Premier League and prove myself late push for England's World Cup squad things like that so yeah I think he's got a lot of thinking to do

But I hope this isn't the end of Harvey Elliott's time at Liverpool because I really love watching him play. Well, he's still so young, isn't he? So there should be plenty of opportunity for him. What are you expecting from him then? I saw a lot of the game against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup and they started the game really well. But Palace, I've got to say, managed the game fantastically and obviously won the

very convincingly a craving cottage. They've obviously since lost to Arsenal, could have maybe nicked a draw, you know, towards the end of the game. Obviously with the context that Arsenal had the setback of the injury to Gabriel in the middle of that game. So they're a tough, they're a good side, aren't they? They are a good side and underestimate them at your peril. They obviously had a really good, well,

They might reflect on it as not a good result at Anfield, but they got a draw at Anfield early on this season, despite Liverpool having quite an early red card to Andy Robertson. I just think they're a team that you've got to respect on the day. They can cause you problems if you don't perform. Liverpool's performance as a craving cottage over the last couple of seasons under Jurgen Klopp have not been very good. So it's boring, but if Liverpool play well...

they will win but there's a chance you know that if Fulham perform and the crowd gets involved it's a strange thing to say because Craven Cottage is quite you know

a small grounds with a largely dare I say it sort of middle class fan base. Is that unfair, Tony? Your, your, your location is quite close to, to, to Craven cottage. Am I, am I being unfair about the, the demographic demographics of the level of the fallen fan base, but that they create quite a, quite a noise. Don't be a crazy. Yeah. You must see them all down the tennis club. Yeah.

No, the Conservative Club. The Conservative Club. Yeah, yeah. No, but I think it's fair to say that they're not particularly hostile fan beasts. No. You know, they're quite a friendly fan beast. They are. But the cottage gets quite lively. It's a very...

It's a very intimate old ground. And it's one of my favourite grounds to go to. But, you know, if the crowd get into it, you know, it rocks there. It does. You know, you've got to stop. You've got to stop that. And in the last few years, I mean, I've seen them generally most times Liverpool have played there in the last few years I've been. And you can't let the crowd get into it. You've got to take it out of it. Two o'clock on Sunday. It's a very polite time to play.

Pins and lemonade, Tony. Exactly, exactly. And I think it's a case of if you get there and get on top early, it's not a bad place to go. But if you let Fulham get into the game, things can run away from you. What do you think we're going to see, James, in terms of the team? We've discussed the core group.

You think it's going to be similar? Because it is. In terms of from now to the end of the season, it's a quick turnaround this week. Yeah, it is. Yeah, the only quick turnaround left this season, isn't it, with just weekend games left?

Yeah, I think there'll be a few changes, but not too many. I think... I certainly got the impression here in slot yesterday that it was a horses for courses thing with Curtis at right back. I don't think he'll play there on Sunday. I think...

Also, because I think Anthony Robinson, you only have to think back to that game at Anfield in December. He had created both the Fulham's goals that day. He's a big attacking threat. It's a different type of test, isn't it, than Everton? So I'd be surprised if Conor Bradley came straight back into the side. He hasn't kicked a ball, has he, for six weeks yet.

So, Kwanzaa probably the most likely you'd have thought to play it right back. They're still waiting on Alisson. Slot said touch and go over him. They keep on obviously doing the concussion tests and he failed some of the criteria before the derby. So, he said as soon as he's ticked all those boxes, Alisson will be back between the sticks. But,

Don't know exactly when that will be. And then top end of the pitch, he could freshen it up, couldn't he? He could turn to Gagpo, he could turn to Darwin. He could even rest to Bosley and play Curtis in that 10 role. But yeah, I'm not expecting too many changes. And as good as Fulham have been this season, I think, were they 9th?

only you know only six points behind Man City who occupy that fifth spot which is likely to be the last Champions League place so they still have European qualification in their sights but it's a bit of a wounded Fulham isn't it I was I was surprised by how they were swept aside by Palace in the FA Cup especially with how strong they usually are on home turf Fulham so that would have hurt them and then obviously to lose at Arsenal in midweek so um

So yeah, and Liverpool have had a, you know, have enjoyed their visits to London so far this season. I think it's four wins and a draw in the league in London so far this season. So hopefully another pleasant trip to the capital on Sunday. Well, that would be very good. That'll be very good. So that's it from Walk On, your Liverpool podcast brought to you by The Athletic. Thanks to James and Simon for joining me and you too for listening. We'll be back next week after the Fulham game. We'll catch you then.

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